Numerous services currently exist for providing various forms of content to users of client devices. For example, Netflix provides television and movie content to users which may be accessed via various client devices including gaming consoles, set-top boxes, mobile phones, etc. Gaming is another form of content in which services exist for providing games to users via their client devices.
In order to track a user's preferences, settings, previously accessed content, etc. accounts are created and personalized for users of the service. A user of a Netflix account may indicate particular preferences to be associated with his account such as movie genre or MPAA rating. Likewise, a user of a game content provider may indicate particular game types to be associated with his account such as first-person shooters or role playing games.
Many services provide for sub-accounts to be associated with a main billing account. This allows multiple users to be associated with the same billing account in a way that each user may personalize their own preferences while still being billed under the same main billing account. For example, a home may be associated with a Netflix account, and sub-accounts may be created for each member of the family (e.g., mom, dad, children, etc.). Each family member may maintain their own sub-account so that the personalized preferences of one family member do not interfere with the personalized preferences of another family member. The children in the family may then separate their programming preferences from those of their parents by accessing their personal sub-account.
Conventionally, these services allow for the main billing account to be accessed via a log-in that involves a username and password. A login prompt appears and the user is allowed to enter their login information via an input device (e.g., keyboard, joystick, etc.). Once the login credentials for the main billing account have been verified, the main billing account may remain open for subsequent uses in order to bypass the need to log-in every time.
However, with sub-accounts, an additional log-in procedure must be performed each time the main billing account switches between its users. Likewise when different billing accounts attempt to utilize a service through the same client device, an additional log-in procedure must be performed each time the main billing account is switched.
When login information is provided using a keyboard or touch-screen, entry may be done quickly and efficiently. However, when a user's input device does not include a keyboard interface, entry of login information may become cumbersome and tedious. Many services allow a user to provide login credentials via an input device (e.g., remote control) other than a keyboard. This is typically accomplished by mimicking a keyboard on a graphical user interface provided to the user and allowing the user to select individual characters on the keyboard by way of their input device. When the input device is a joystick or other type of directional pad, the user is required to move a cursor using its input device to each individual character in order to provide login credentials. When a billing account includes multiple sub-accounts, or similarly when multiple billing accounts are utilizing the same client device, constantly having to input login credentials using a non-keyboard device in order to switch between sub-accounts or billing accounts may become very time consuming. This is especially true where the login credentials are complex (e.g., include upper-case and lower-case characters, include numbers and symbols, etc.)